What are some effective ways to communicate and engage with remote or hybrid teams?

One thing I found really set me up for success when I was working remotely, was morning check-ins! Each morning, our team would meet on Teams for 30 mins. Our team lead would ask us what we were working on, and designate new tasks for each of us (as needed). We would have open discussions about things we've come across or have been struggling with and tackle those challenges as a team. Having that morning meeting gave us a forum to bounce ideas off one another and obtain support when it was needed. In addition to fostering a connection within the team, it also helped me get into work mode each morning, much like a morning commute would, providing an opportunity to pack up home life and get the work juices flowing.

In my experience in communicating and engaging with remote or hybrid team is to set clear communication targets, keep it brief when ever you can and be precise and clear as to what you are trying to achieve and the outcome that you are trying to achieve. Use inclusive language and behaviour, understand that the other person maybe working from home or on transit. Either way assist in communicating in an effective manner, briefly and be clear as to what you are trying to say. For example, when I phoned a colleague previously I could hear his dog barking in the back ground and I had to pause, the colleague was appologitical. Most importantly, always be mindful when discussing sensitive, confidential information remotely.

In my experience being on both ends of working remotely, communication using online messaging systems is key (Microsoft teams, slack etc.) I never want an employee to feel like they don't have communication lines open with managers. This will make for an employee who makes decisions they shouldn't be making and that can cause a while trail of a mess with a client...

In my experience, video conferencing at least once per week with the team help provide a sense of connection and build rapport. Video provides a face-to-face way to help create a sense of community. It also encourages participation in a way that calls, instant messaging, and emails can't. Meeting in person when possible is very helpful as well. I currently work remote; however, I have the privilege of spending one week per quarter at our headquarters. Having that in person face-to-face time helps engage in purposeful small talk and build relationships.

Create your own culture: themes, jargon, customs, regular events. Engage in optional social events/threads that connect with work, but also support people's personal preferences/lifestyle. For example, sharing how you used your company's product or tool in your personal life. Promote optional threads/groups/events partially work-related, or not related to work at all. Personal interests, cultural, hobbies, sports, local...

If a culture of trust is built, it will encourage employees to feel comfortable reaching out to ask for help. This initiative (and self-awareness on the part of the employee) is critical in a remote setting when a manager is not there to physically see if team member is struggling.

We use TEAMS and have created an office "Snap Chat"-- employees and managers give "snaps" to colleagues to recognize the work they've done or help provided. To encourage participation, we randomly selected one snap each month and gave both the author and the recipient a gift card.

I've found that providing a variety of opportunities for online gatherings that are both social and work related provide a nice alternative for folks to warm up to the idea of being on camera. Setting a recurring team "huddle" gives team members an option to join or not and just talk. The watercooler is essentially gone but there is still a need to connect on a personal level with people we work with every day and important for building trust and comraderie. Communication involves all of our senses so as much as we can do face to face helps us better know our team.

In my experience it is very important to enhance office culture and environment by being inclusive in language and behaviour. Especially when you are speaking on tools such as TEAMS and on the telephone. Not everyone will be able to understand exclusive banter which could be construed as culturally inappropriate. If we are to engage in creating sustainable working environments in a diverse work force and culture it is important that we create an environment where everyone feels included and are able to engage and communicate effectively so that relationships can be built harmoniously. I understand trust can only be build by being respectful, supportive and transparent in our dealings with colleagues and clients.

Part of promoting wellness is modeling wellness and balance. If you want your team to respect out of hours boundaries, make sure you do the same. If you're worried about burnout, actively talk about your plans to disconnect/be unavailable over the weekend or at night so they feel they are allowed to do the same. Have HR remind employees about unused PTO balances so they don't go to waste. Consider offering a once a week/month wellness activity, like virtual yoga, "walking Wednesdays" or other opportunities to encourage a better work/life balance.

I found daily check-in allotted time, beginning of the week or beginning of a project - first thing at start of workday. End of workaday check-in during an ongoing/complex project also helps keep the momentum and accountability live. Depending on project and client (if applicable), having a method of quick access/communication between the active participating department leads on high/priority projects kept the vibe fluent, and up to date as the flow of communication was kept open. Designating a liason person on each team keeps the client updated, the teams connected through live updates, without taking away time from the rest of team members that could concentrate on the project instead on the administrative side.